home » Terms » How to create your own company logo. Rules for creating and developing a good logo How to develop a company logo yourself

How to create your own company logo. Rules for creating and developing a good logo How to develop a company logo yourself

A logo is much more than just words, an icon, a color. A good logo tells a story about your company: who you are, what you do, and what you stand for.

Creating a logo is not an easy task: there are many nuances that need to be taken into account when developing it. Luckily, you don't have to do this alone. With the help of this step-by-step instructions, you can do it easily and simply. But enough words, let's get started!

What is a logo and what is it for?

But before we move directly to the recommendations, we would like to recommend you an online service from Logaster , which can create a logo for you all in a few minutes. Just enter your company name and the site will create some logos for you!
Now let's move on to the article :)

Every day we constantly come across logos.

For example, the average US resident sees 16,000 advertisements, logos and labels per day. If you look around, you will probably also notice several dozen logos around you.

Why are there so many of them and why do many companies spend thousands, hundreds, or even millions of dollars to create this small element?

What do we, first of all, understand by the word “logo”?

A logo is a symbol or emblem that is used
to identify services, products and the company itself.

How to choose a color for a logo?

Color, color and more color! It's the first touchpoint and the most memorable item, says Leslie Harrington, executive director of The Color Association.

Understanding how color affects human perception is important when creating a quality logo, says Martin Christie of Logo Design London.

Color can help you enhance the right feelings and create a strong emotional connection. Use the infographic (large size) to choose the color you want for your logo.

How to choose the right logo color?

To answer this question, you need to ask yourself 3 questions:

What color highlights your brand's personality?
What colors characterize your products/services?
What color is your competitor using?

The colors are not tied to any specific industry, but certain colors are better suited to some services/products than others.
You should aim to choose a color that will highlight your company's personality. The color should make the right impression on customers who see your logo for the first time.

What to do when you've figured out your competitors' colors?

One option is to use a color opposite to the color of the main competitor's logo. This will help you stand out. But it's worth considering the colors of your industry so that the opposite color matches the industry. For example, the pink color for the logo of a bank or law firm looks inappropriate and ridiculous.

Consider the characteristics of color in different cultures. For example, in the Western world, white is considered the color of purity and peace, and in some Asian countries it is the color of death.

One color or several?

To convey the desired feelings and emotions as much as possible, one color is usually used when creating a logo design. However, there are many successful logos with multiple colors - Google, eBay.

Therefore, you can safely use one color or several. The main thing is that they combine! But, of course, you shouldn’t overdo it and use a large number of colors.

I recommend choosing two primary colors. This makes it easier for your brand to communicate with your customers. Many companies, from sports teams to corporations, have used only two colors for many years.

– Pamela Wilson.

How to choose several colors for a logo?

The easiest way to choose the right colors for your logo is to use color schemes.
There are many online services for finding great color schemes. You can find several in this one.

For example, Adobe Kuler or the Russian-language Colorscheme service.

Designers often use the 60-30-10 formula. It consists of choosing 3 different colors and using them in a ratio of 60%, 30% and 10%. This rule provides an easy way to create a professional color scheme for your brand.

– Jared Christofferson, Yellowhammer

Where can you find logo inspiration?

It is often very difficult to take the first step when we are dealing with something unfamiliar. For example, with the creation of logos. You can spend a day, or even a week, thinking about and making logo drawings, which is very exhausting.

Fortunately, there is a good way to get rid of the stupor as soon as possible and make the first step less painful. For example, gain inspiration from other logos and designers’ works.
For this we have selected 10 best sites, where you can get ideas for your logo.

Logo Pond

Logo Moose

This site's community has collected the best logos from professional logo designers from all over the world.

Logofi was created to inspire designers and other creative people. On this site you can see the work of not only professional designers, but also ordinary visitors who have uploaded their logo.

Logo Gala

LogoGala is one of the most outstanding resources for finding inspiration. On the website you can select a logo filter by color.

Logospire is a logo gallery. But the main difference between this site and others is that you can see the best designer logos. The site has a rating system and every month a list of the best logos is compiled.

Logo Heroes

Here are the best logos on the internet.

Logo Fury

Another gallery of logos, which is regularly updated with fresh works. The site has a convenient search by tags, so finding a logo on the desired topic is very convenient.

Logo Faves

One of the most popular sites. The site contains logos of many famous designers. There is a tag search to find the logo you need.

Errors when creating a logo

To make a really good logo, you need to avoid certain mistakes.
Below we have collected the most popular of them.

Mistake 1: Using a bitmap

The use of raster images in logos is not recommended because it may cause problems when reproducing the logo. If you enlarge a bitmap image too much, it will appear tiled, making it unusable.

Therefore, standard practice when developing a logo is to use programs that work with vector graphics - Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. Vector graphics are made up of dots calculated with mathematical precision, ensuring a consistent visual experience no matter the size of the image.

Basic advantages of using vector graphics when developing a logo design:

1. The logo can be scaled to any size without loss of quality.
2. Subsequent editing of the logo is greatly facilitated.
3. A vector image is easier to adapt to other media than a raster image.

Mistake 2: Following trends

Trends come and go. Eventually they turn into clichés. A well-designed logo should be durable. This can be achieved if you do not rely on newfangled tricks and techniques.

To create a unique identity for your company, it is best to completely ignore logo trends.

Logo Online Pros has a huge section where current logo design trends are updated annually. It is important that you are aware of the latest fads and avoid them at all costs. – Smashingmagazine

Mistake 3: Overcomplexity

An image that contains too much detail will not be perceived well in print or when viewed in a smaller version.
Details of a complex design will be lost, and in some cases it will look messy or, worse, not be perceived correctly.

For example, the fingerprint pattern on the fictional Smashing logo can only be seen upon very close inspection. When you zoom out, details are lost.

Look at the corporate logos of Nike, McDonald's and Apple. Each of these companies has a very simple image that can easily be reproduced in any size.

Mistake 4: Dependence on color effects

Without color, your great logo can lose its identity. Right?

No! This is a very common mistake. Designers can't wait to add a few of their favorite colors, many even rely on it entirely.

Choosing a color should be your last decision, so it's best to start designing in black and white.

Mistake 5: Poor font choice

When it comes to creating a logo, choosing the right font is the most important decision you will make. Due to poor font choice, the logo most often fails (our example shows the infamous Comic Sans).

Choosing the perfect font for your logo is all about matching the font to the style of the image. But there may be tricks here. If the match is too close, the image and font will compete with each other for the viewer's attention. If it’s the other way around, then the viewer won’t understand what to focus on. The main thing is to find the right balance.
The entire brand message will fall flat if the chosen font does not reflect the characteristics of the image.

Mistake 6. Designing a logo for yourself, not for clients

Often, when creating a logo, there is a desire to use your favorite font, color, etc. Do not do that!

Ask yourself, is this font and color really suitable for my business?

For example, that gorgeous modern typography font you love might not be suitable for a serious client like a law firm.

Mistake 7: Typographic chaos

Typography can make or break a logo, so knowing the basics of typography is vital. The logo should remain as simple as possible, but at the same time convey the desired message. To achieve this, you need to consider all typographic aspects of the design.

Don't use too many fonts or weights (two is the maximum). Don't use fonts that are predictable, pretentious, or too thin. Pay close attention to kerning, spacing, and size. Most importantly, make sure you choose the right font(s) for the project.

Mistake 8: Creating a monogram

One of the most common mistakes made by non-professional logo designers is trying to create a monogram from the initial letters of a business name (for example, B&H for Bob's Hardware). Although it looks creative at first glance, it is difficult to be convincing or convey the desired message using company initials. You can certainly try, but don't stop there if there are other logo design options.

Also try not to turn the name of the company into an abbreviation if it has not become commonly used and this does not correspond to the goals set.

HP, FedEx, IBM and GM didn't start out with acronyms; they became such many years after gaining a high-class reputation.

Mistake 9: Using Visual Cliches

A light bulb as a symbol of an idea, a bubble with text - discussion, strokes - dynamism, etc. These are the first ideas that come to mind during brainstorming, and for the same reason they are the first to be abandoned.

How can your design be unique when many other logos have the same idea? Avoid visual clichés and come up with an original idea and design.

Mistake 10. Copying, stealing or borrowing a design

It's sad to have to say this, but this practice is common these days. A logo designer sees an idea he likes, tweaks it a little, changes the colors or words, and makes the idea his own. It's unethical, illegal, stupid and you'll get caught sooner or later.

How to Create a Logo - Step-by-Step Guide

We've already covered almost everything you need to know about creating a logo.

Now all that remains is to sort out the information received.

Take another look at:

Step 1: Create multiple drafts

During the early stages of logo design, you may have several ideas that you want to express in the logo. You shouldn’t neglect them, it’s better to write them down; perhaps some of them will be useful to you when creating the final version of the logo.

Step 2: Sketch your logo design

Sketching is a quick and easy way to get ideas onto paper where you can evaluate them more easily.
Do not erase or throw away sketches. Design is not a linear process. All ideas can be valuable, even if you don't think so right away.

If you don't know how to draw, don't worry. You can try sketching your logo using screenshots. Go to the sites of several online generators, icon galleries, etc. Try to find the right images that you like and save them. You can then use them to create your unique logo.

Step 3: Select Logo Creation Tools

You can create a logo using:

– graphic programs – Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Photoshop;
– platforms for ordering logos – 99Designs:
– online services and designers – , Logaster . Very useful service, I recommend it!

If you're comfortable working with graphics programs, don't hesitate to use them to create your logo.
But you should not neglect online services. They can be used to find inspiration or test ideas.

Step 4: Create a Logo

Step 5. Test the logo

Have you created a logo and decided it's perfect? Perhaps this is not the case. It will be more effective to show the logo to colleagues, friends, and some clients and get feedback. Ask them a few questions: what do they think of the logo, do they like it? If the answers suit you, then you did everything right.
However, be careful with reviews from friends and relatives. If they are not professional designers, their advice may not be entirely useful to you or may even be false.

Step 6: Check your logo's scalability

Check the logo image in different versions - in newspaper ads, on a business card, on your website. The logo should look good whether it is reproduced in a large or small format.

Some tips:
– If the logo has a lot of detail or lines that are thin, then the logo may look too fussy at small sizes.
– If a logo is created for a business card or website, then it will usually look awkward at large sizes.
– Use graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, they allow you to check the scalability of your logo.

Step 7: Create Multiple Logo Formats

You may have created your logo in a graphics program like Adobe Illustrator from the beginning. If this is not the case, you need to transfer the logo sketch from paper to electronic form.

Some tips:
– Save the logo not only in .
The latter will allow you to easily scale your logo without losing quality. If you already have a logo in raster format, you can convert it to vector using vectormagic.com.
– Use the logo in PNG, JPEG format for the Internet and in PDF, EPS, SVG for printing.
– Save the logo version in black and white for printing the logo, for example, on bags, pens, stationery.

Step 8: Continue to Get Feedback

Even after you've created a logo, you still need to remain open to feedback. Use various tools such as social media, customer comments, expert opinions to make sure your logo looks perfect.

Step 9. Redesign

Nothing lasts forever, and a logo is no exception. If your logo has ceased to be relevant over time, it is better to redraw it. It is worth making small edits, leaving room for the key idea in the logo, because radical changes are unlikely to be appropriate.

Is your logo really great? [Check list]

And so, you've probably already created a logo. Congratulations!

But is he really good? Will it look great in different sizes? Well, let's check the effectiveness of your logo with our checklist.
Go through each question and answer “yes” or “no.”

1. The logo looks attractive to at least three people
2. The logo looks good in black and white
3. The logo is recognizable in an upside-down position (view)
4. The logo is recognizable if its size is changed
5. No complicated parts
6. The logo is visually balanced – the icon, font, color look harmonious together
7. Do not use too many fonts, colors, effects
8. The logo is noticeable among other logos

As we have already written, it is very important to stand out from other companies, especially competitors.
Collect your competitors' logos and place yours somewhere between them.
Is it noticeable? Noticeable compared to others? If yes, everything is great!

9. The logo is adaptive

Adaptability means that the logo will look great on any object or surface - a T-shirt, website, road sign, etc.

10. The logo is memorable

Show your logo to your friends or anyone and ask them to draw an image of it in a few hours or days. If he can roughly accurately sketch your logo, then everything is fine and your logo will be memorable.

11. Universal logo

The universality of a logo means that it is perceived in the same way by a wide range of people. All people are different and the main thing is that the logo retains a single meaning for all its viewers.

12. The logo is easy to read

Imagine that your logo is placed on a banner, and you are driving a car at a speed of 70-80 km per hour. Could you read the text of your logo? If yes, everything is fine. If not, it might be worth working on the fonts.

13. Do you have vector logo formats?

It is very important to have logo files in vector (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF). This will allow you to print your logo at any scale without losing quality, as well as edit it. For example, make a logo in a different color.

We hope you find our tips helpful and that you can create a great logo!

How to create a logo - step-by-step instructions from A to Z updated: March 11, 2019 by: admin

Hello, dear friends.

Introduction

My name is Dmitry Borkov, I do graphic and web design. My main areas of focus are the development of website design, logos and printed products.

In our digital age, especially in the web environment, design is developing rapidly, but only its meaningful use makes design a truly powerful tool. To do this, you need to look at design as a visual language that takes into account information, mood and creates a powerful subconscious message.

Therefore, especially for the blog website I decided to write series of articles about how to develop a logo for a company or website, and also show an approach that will help make design an understandable and conscious tool for conveying the message you need to the world.

If you are NOT a designer and you need a logo, then you can contact me for help in developing it. You can find me on VKontakte: vk.com/dborkov82

How does the whole development process work?

The design process itself consists of the following stages:

Development of the semantic core of the logo (we will consider this stage today).
The birth of the main image.
Typography or an excursion into fonts.
The shape and polish of the final impression.

In this article I want to tell you about what a logo is, where it begins and how its semantic core is developed.

When the core is developed, you can go in several ways, choose a ready-made logo on a stock photo or order it from a designer. Any of the proposed options will allow you to get a high-quality logo for your projects. A third option is also possible - independent development, but only if graphic design is your second “I”.

First of all, we need to understand what a logo is and what purposes it serves.

Logo Misconception

Most people choose a logo without having a clear idea of it, guided by taste or subjective feelings that are not fully realized and do not allow them to see the whole picture.

This phenomenon can be found even in the sphere of design professionals; outside the professional sphere the picture is similar. At that time, the logo is the very first part of the corporate identity that a potential client sees and begins to build trust.

I wonder why this happens?

The answer, as always, is simple and lies on the surface. The traditional definition of a logo is actually false because it does not reveal the full meaning and it sounds something like this: it is a unique, recognizable, memorable sign, and so on. I will not give the entire list of these parameters; they can be found on the Internet, but they are of little use. You can find many memorable, recognizable signs, but not every one of them you will want to put on your business card!

All this is because you also have criteria for choosing a logo at the moment, you just don’t realize them, but we will discuss them later, but for now I would like to tell you one important point.

Semantic core or path from inside to outside

Why should a logo be chosen based on semantic and not just taste preferences?

Because any picture, image will evoke a whole series of associations in the viewer, and he will think of it himself and associate it with your company, and do this mostly unconsciously. We all know that words can't tell you anything. Writing with a pen on paper is a little more difficult, but drawing a picture about nothing is completely impossible, because a picture is a concrete material image.

A logo can be ironic, friendly, reliable, bright or calm. All its components - image, composition, color, shape create certain impressions, and it is very important that they all convey the same message, but each in their own way. It is then that the message will be clear, clear and understandable.

The viewer will perceive this information unconsciously, unless he is a design professional. He will not be able to understand all the meanings and ideas that I wanted to put into the logo, to understand why I chose this particular image. Therefore, hence the rule - the image that I broadcast must be as accurate as possible, simplified, cleared of all excesses, and only then will it be understandable to the majority on a conscious and subconscious level. A logo is not just a pretty picture, it is a meaning crystallized into a form.

Therefore, work on it must begin with the creation of a semantic core, the main impression that I am going to make, and in our simplified case, the process of obtaining a logo can be divided into 2 fundamental stages:

Creation of a semantic core.
Choosing a logo on a stock photo.

You can see other stages of logo development, working with designers and involvement in all the nuances of the process in my other articles. Now we are looking at the simplest scheme with minimal investment, which will allow you to get a high-quality brand name with an understanding of what is good and what is bad for your logo. I'll take you step by step and show you how to do it.

Creating a semantic core

The logo is me and my business

So, first, let’s correctly define what a logo is.
A logo is a brand name that answers three simple questions:

Who am I?
What am I?
What I do?

First of all, you need to answer these 3 questions in relation to your niche, and to make it easier for you to look at your own activities from such a new angle, let's look at these questions with an example.

Let's imagine that I am a carpenter and am engaged in making paintings - wood inlays. For me, carpentry is a way to transfer creative ideas onto a wooden medium, to create a wooden background that will remind you that nature is the most comfortable environment for humans and you can and should interact with it carefully. My stories are about friendship between humans and forest inhabitants; they convey kindness, comfort, and interaction.

The logo is “the best me”

Answering the question “What am I?”, you need to go the other way and answer, what qualities should I have in order to succeed in my business? Imagine seeing yourself in the future who has achieved the highest goal in the business you are doing, and imagine what qualities does this “best you” possess? There can be many of these qualities; write down at least 7 that come to mind.

Choose the most key quality and forget everything secondary, a logo is, in fact, a small icon, and there is no room for secondary concepts :)

Then we get the following answers:

I am an artist - a carpenter who works with wood.
I create an atmosphere in which it is pleasant to be.
I am bright, kind, joyful.

Crystallizing an idea into an image

After writing similar 3 points about your niche (and I hope that while reading you answer these questions on a piece of paper), I am sure that you will begin to form certain images, this is just the beginning, and then we will help these images grow into a whole tree of ideas.

Now you need to write down what associations and images each of these points evokes, write 7-10 examples for each point.

What does a wood artist look like and what does he do?
What does good look like? What picture do I call light?
How do I know if this atmosphere is comfortable?

It is very important to formulate these concepts in the form of words, and not try to turn them into a logo image ahead of time. Drawing on paper stops the flow of visual associations as you begin to get used to it.

The process of turning an idea into a form should happen in stages, some stages will go very smoothly for you, some will go through some rough spots. It is the roughness that requires the most attention, and here it is important to remember that the quality of the result depends on the most problematic stages of its creation, and not on the most developed ones.

Problem areas require the most complete disclosure; only then can we say that we have created a full-fledged semantic core and we can move on to other stages of logo creation.

So, if you've gone through the steps above, you now have an idea of what you want your logo to look like, and we can move on.

Choosing a logo on a stock photo

A little about stock photos

I specifically named this section this way, since we will not draw the logo ourselves, unless the graphic designer is your other “I”. Unless you are a professional in this field, we need to make a serious impression on potential clients, not just amuse them, so we need to entrust this process to a professional. In this article I won’t talk about working with designers, that will be a separate article, but now we’ll talk about working with stock photos.

There are several large photo stocks, such as:

We'll use any of them, but first we need keywords to search for.

The right keywords are the key to success

To do this, the first thing we do is type our keyword in the search query line, and first of all we find an article from Wikipedia for it. Open the article and select English in the left sidebar in the section in other languages. It is this method that allows us to get the meaning of our word used in English, at the same time, Google Translator can give a literal translation of your word into English and get a meaning that is not used in speech, for which when we search we will either find very little or find nothing at all.

If Wikipedia does not help us translate in this way, we will use other translation services from the same Google, for example.

The keyword obtained in this way can be safely inserted into the search bar of the stock photo, adding the word logo to it.

After this, from the search sample, we look at which of the presented works correspond to our semantic core and our criteria. I recommend selecting 10-20 logos and saving them in a separate folder, note that the logo should be marked on the stock photo as a vector illustration that you can edit.

Choice largely determines the outcome

Now you have about 20 potential logos and now it is important to make the right choice, for this I will offer you the method that I use myself.

Review your 20 logos and duplicate the folder containing them. Now your task is to count the pictures and remove exactly half of them. Then repeat the same operation with the remaining 10. When you have 5 logos left, do the following - put them away until the next morning and don’t look at them again.

Tomorrow morning you will open the folder with these 5 logos and with a fresh mind you will see which one will really be yours. Now you can register on a photo stock and buy this illustration. If your logo has text, edit it using vector editors such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.

Conclusion

All! Now we have finished creating the semantic core, and we have an understanding of which logo would be the best for us. From this you can already form a technical specification for working with a designer, which you will read about in other articles in this series.

We chose a logo from a stock photo, and if you are not a designer and don’t want a designer to develop the logo, then this is the best option, and we did it.

You can now be congratulated on your new brand name that accurately reflects the essence of your business!

In the following articles we will look at all the elements of the early process, and if you ever come into contact with a logo as a client or designer, you will definitely find something new and useful that will help make your brand truly bright, meaningful and trendy.

See you in the next articles and thank you for your attention!

Friends, leave your comments and questions below under this article, I will always be happy to answer them and help you develop a logo. I left a link to my VKontakte page at the beginning of the article.

If you are one of those for whom creating a logo is something that will give you insomnia, then this article is for you: you will learn how to create a logo step by step - from finding an idea to choosing the finished file format.

Your logo may not win any awards, but at least you'll have a nice logo to put on your website or business card. So let's begin! Steps 1 to 4 are devoted to brainstorming when creating a logo. Steps 5 to 7 will teach us how to create a logo design, including such aspects as choosing a shape, font, and color. And in Step 8 we will learn how to create the final design as a finished file.

Logo creation statistics

Before we move on to tips on how to create a logo, we would like to provide statistics about the logos of top brands. Here are a few key points you may want to consider as you design.

Step 1. Finding an idea for your logo
Online logo galleries such as Logogala.com and LogoFury.com are great places to get design inspiration.

Look at the logos of other companies similar to yours. Ask yourself what you like and don't like about them. What works and what doesn't, but don't copy the design - just find what you like and follow that style in your own design. Your goal should be to come up with a logo design that communicates who you are, what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for.

Another way to find an idea for a logo is to make several sketches of the future logo. Write the name of your logo in different styles and fonts, draw different symbols, icons - in one word, everything related to your company and product/service. Perhaps one of these sketches will become the basis of your logo.

Step 2: Think about your target audience
A logo is not created because it is necessary or fashionable. The logo must have a specific function and benefit for the company. Therefore, at the initial stage of creating a logo, you should clearly understand who your clients are, what they like, and what qualities of your company they value. Finding out this is necessary to create a logo that will evoke the feelings and emotions that you need and thus create a positive brand for your company.

Step 3. Adhere to the principles and rules of creating logos
To make a logo truly effective, you need to follow certain rules. We have selected the most important principles with a brief description.

The logo must be simple: A simple logo design makes it easy to recognize and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable.

The logo must be memorable: An effective logo design must be memorable and this is achieved by creating an original logo that will stand out from others.

The logo must be durable: The logo must stand the test of time - not lose its effectiveness under the influence of fashion or any other short-term phenomena, be future-proof and effective in a few years. For example, well-known companies do not create a new logo, but only slightly improve it, making it more modern.

The logo must be universal: A high-quality logo always looks great in any environment and in any form.

Step 4: Draw some logo sketches
Sketching is a quick and easy way to get ideas from your head onto paper. So after you've collected all the ideas, take a paper and pencil and draw some logo examples. If you don't know how to draw with a pencil, you can use graphics programs such as Illusrtator, Photoshop. If they are not possible, use online logo designers. With their help, you can find the right icon or font for your logo.

Step 5: Choose a Logo Shape
The shape of a logo has a psychological effect on people. With the help of certain forms you can evoke the desired feelings and emotions. For example, a square symbolizes stability and constancy, a triangle symbolizes strength and knowledge. How to choose the right logo shape? Look at the image from Logowiks below and choose the one that suits you based on the characteristics of your business.

Step 6. Decide on the color of the logo
When choosing a color for your logo, think about what color reflects your company's personality. For example, if your company is fun, creative and vibrant, consider using yellow or orange shades in your logo. Using the infographic below, you can choose the logo color based on the theme of your business. Click on the picture to view it in a larger size.

Finally, think about what colors your competitors are using. This is important in order to stand out from their background. Sometimes, choosing a color that is the opposite of your main competitor can help customers differentiate you.

Also be sure to think about the functional impact of color on things like readability, eye strain, and attention-grabbing. To do this, follow the rules below:

1. Stick to 2 primary colors, and do not use more than 4. A small amount allows you to achieve the desired effect.

2. Choose only 1 or 2 primary colors and the rest should be secondary colors that are barely noticeable.

3. Resist the temptation to add more colors - use more shades instead.

4. Provide enough white space to allow the eyes to remain relaxed.

Useful services for color selection

Finding the right color is not easy. Luckily, there are many online services that can help you choose colors for your logo.

An interesting service for creating a logo. This service is full of different tools and settings, so you can create a logo that looks exactly the way you want. With Hipster Logo Generator you can create simple yet interesting logos. There are also disadvantages - you cannot edit elements, and the interface is in English.

How to create a logo online

Let's create an example logo using the Logaster service. Go to the main page of the service and click “Create a logo”.

Enter your logo text and select a theme. Click “Next”.

The service will offer dozens of logo options. Choose the one you like and click on it.

If you need to make edits, for example, change text, color, icon, font, etc., then click “Edit logo”.

Use the color selection infographic to choose the right font for your type of business. Use the same tips for choosing a font. If you are happy with the logo, click “Save”. Download the logo for free (small size) or full size for $9.99.

In addition to the logo, you can also create other products. For example, a business card or letterhead.

Keep listening

Once your logo is created, it is important to remain open to feedback. To do this, show the logo to a test group of people who match your client's profile. You can show them several design options or just the one you feel is the strongest option. Ask them if they like the logo, what emotions it appeals to. If you are satisfied with the answers, congratulations! You created a great logo. If not, you may need to rework your logo design.

Choose the right file format for your logo

Your logo can be saved in two formats. One is known as vector and the other as raster. You need logo files in both one and the other format. Vector format (PDF, CDR, EPS, SVG) is used for editing the logo, as well as for scaling and printing. Raster format (PNG, JPEG) is used for working on the Internet. For example, to place your logo on a website, social networks, or in an email signature. To work with vectors, programs such as Corel, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape (free program) are used, for rasters - Adobe Photoshop, Pint.Net and others.

That's all! I hope our article was useful. Don’t forget to write what tips you have for creating a logo and share the link to the article on social networks.

Depending on your artistic talents, creating a logo may be something you can do in your sleep, or it may be something that will give you insomnia. If you are one of those who find it difficult to come up with and draw pictures, this article is for you. In this article, a specialist from Logaster will tell you how to create a logo step by step - from choosing an idea to choosing the finished file format. Your logo may not win any awards, but at least you'll have a nice logo to put on your website or business card. So let's begin! Steps 1 to 4 are devoted to brainstorming when creating a logo. Steps 5 to 7 will teach us how to create a logo design, including such aspects as choosing a shape, font, and color. And in Step 8 we will learn how to create the final design as a finished file.

Logo creation statistics
Before we move on to tips on how to create a logo, we would like to provide statistics about the logos of top brands. Here are a few key points you may want to consider as you design.

Step 1. Finding an idea for your logo
Online logo galleries such as Canva.com and LogoFury.com are great places to get design inspiration.

Look at the logos of other companies similar to yours. Ask yourself what you like and don't like about them. What works and what doesn't, but don't copy the design - just find what you like and follow that style into your own design. Your goal should be to come up with a logo design that communicates who you are, what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for.

Step 2: Think about your target audience
A logo is not created because it is necessary or fashionable. The logo must have a specific function and benefit for the company. Therefore, at the initial stage of creating a logo, you should clearly understand who your clients are, what they like, and what qualities of your company they value. Finding out this is necessary to create a logo that will evoke the feelings and emotions that you need and thus create a positive brand for your company. To do this, you can ask yourself 11 questions that need to be answered before creating a logo

Step 3. Adhere to the principles and rules of creating logos
To make a logo truly effective, you need to follow certain rules. You can find out detailed information about the principles of creating a logo in the article; below we have selected the most important principles with a brief description.

The logo must be simple: A simple logo design makes it easy to recognize and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable.

The logo must be memorable: An effective logo design must be memorable and this is achieved by creating an original logo that will stand out from others.

The logo must be universal: A high-quality logo always looks great in any environment and in any form.

Step 4: Draw some logo sketches
Sketching is a quick and easy way to get ideas from your head onto paper. So after you've collected all the ideas, take a paper and pencil and draw some logo examples. If you don't know how to draw with a pencil, you can use graphics programs such as Illusrtator, Photoshop. If they are not possible, use online logo designers. With their help, you can find the right icon or font for your logo.

Step 5: Choose a Logo Shape
The shape of a logo has a psychological effect on people. With the help of certain forms you can evoke the desired feelings and emotions. For example, a square symbolizes stability and constancy, a triangle symbolizes strength and knowledge. How to choose the right logo shape? Look at the image from Logowiks below and choose the one that suits you based on the characteristics of your business.

Step 6. Decide on the color of the logo
When choosing a color for your logo, think about what color reflects your company's personality. For example, if your company is fun, creative and vibrant, consider using yellow or orange shades in your logo. Using the infographic below, you can choose the logo color based on the theme of your business. Click on the picture to view it in a larger size.

Also be sure to think about the functional impact of color on things like readability, eye strain, and attention-grabbing. To do this, follow the rules below:

1. Stick to 2 primary colors, and do not use more than 4. A small amount allows you to achieve the desired effect.

2. Choose only 1 or 2 primary colors and the rest should be secondary colors that are barely noticeable.

3. Resist the temptation to add more colors - use more shades instead.

4. Provide enough white space to allow the eyes to remain relaxed.

Useful services for color selection
Finding the right color is not easy. Luckily, there are many online services that can help you choose colors for your logo.

Kuler.adobe.com
Adobe's service provides a large library of ready-made color schemes and, using a special color wheel, you can select colors that will match the desired color. Detailed video on how to work with Kuler.adobe.com

Сolorscheme.ru
This is a Russian-language service for selecting colors and generating color schemes. The service works similarly to Kuler.adobe.com, but has slightly fewer features. Detailed video on how to work with Colorscheme

Step 7: Choose a font for your logo
Font selection is an important aspect of logo design. The right font can highlight the strengths of your company, but the wrong one can make the logo unreadable and negate all your efforts in creating a positive image of the company. At the same time, among thousands of the most diverse and attractive fonts, how can you find the one that is ideal for your logo? Click on the picture to view it in a larger size.

Here are some simple tips to help you in this matter: Avoid popular fonts Yes, your Microsoft Office suite includes a set of fonts. The problem is that everyone else has it too. Therefore, using a font from your OS library would be a bad idea. The same rule applies to popular public fonts. Be Timeless If everyone suddenly seems to be using a certain font style (like the now ubiquitous Sketch Block), keep looking. Look for original fonts that will make your logo stand out. Remember, the font and logo as a whole should stand the test of time. Trends come and go, and what you definitely don't want is to invest a significant amount of your time and money into a design that will become outdated almost overnight.

Choose a readable font. The logo text should look great, and even more so, be readable in a small size. Check how the font will display in different sizes. Give Some Space Jazz trumpeter great Miles Davis once said that the notes you don't play are just as important as the notes you do play. Therefore, when choosing a logo font, it is necessary to take into account the distance between characters (kerning). Too much spacing can make the logo look scattered and incoherent, while too little can make it illegible.

Use the personality of the font. Your logo is the face of your brand. It is number 1 on your company's list of community touchpoints. So when choosing fonts, think about the personality of your brand and what you want to convey with your font. Is it speed, strength, reliability, availability or attention to detail? The style and personality of a font will go a long way in creating a quality logo.

Useful sites for finding fonts
Among the popular services for searching fonts are the following.

MyFonts.com
MyFonts is one of those places where you can find all the free fonts at once. In addition, there are paid unique fonts.

Fonts-online.ru
Some fonts on the site are distributed free of charge, but you must purchase a license to use them for commercial purposes.

Webfont.ru
Catalog of free fonts (Cyrillic available). There is a search and filter by font families.

Also see our selection of 200 free fonts for creating logos.

Step 8: Create the final design
After you have made a few sketches of the logo, you need to move on to creating it. You can do this in 3 ways: - create a logo yourself in a graphics program; — create a logo using an online logo generator; - Use an online logo maker.

Create a logo yourself
If you choose this method, you will need to decide on a drawing program, such as Adobe Illustrator and/or Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Illustrator is a vector drawing program. It is often used to draw illustrations, diagrams and logos. Lessons on creating a logo using Adobe Illustrator:

Adobe Photoshop is the most popular photo and raster image editing program. Its uses range from full-featured editing of large photographs to the creation of complex digital paintings and drawings. Lessons on creating a logo using Adobe Photoshop:

Creating logos using an online logo generator
Online logo generators are a good option if you don’t have the skills and knowledge to create logos yourself and don’t have enough resources (time, money). We have collected several online services that will be useful to you when creating logos.

Logaster.ru
Russian-language online logo generator, with support for Cyrillic in logos. We described the process of creating a logo using this service below. Let’s just clarify that after creating a logo, you can download files in raster (PNG and JPEG) and vector formats (SVG and PDF). You can also make business cards, envelopes, forms, favicons based on the created logo.

Zillion Designs
This is a simple logo creation tool. You can create your logo in just 3 steps, similar to Logaster. In Zillion Designs, you choose all the elements of the logo yourself - image, color, font. After successfully creating your logo, you can download the file in EPS, JPEG and PNG formats.

Hipster Logo Generator
An interesting service for creating a logo. This service is full of different tools and settings, so you can create a logo that looks exactly the way you want. With Hipster Logo Generator you can create simple yet interesting logos. There are also disadvantages - you cannot edit elements, and the interface is in English.

How to create a logo online
Let's create an example logo using the Logaster service. Go to the main page of the service and click “Create a logo”.

Enter your logo text and select a theme. Click “Next”.

The service will offer dozens of logo options. Choose the one you like and click on it.

If you need to make edits, for example, change text, color, icon, font, etc., then click “Edit logo”.

In addition to the logo, you can also create other products. For example, a business card or letterhead.

Keep listening
Once your logo is created, it is important to remain open to feedback. To do this, show the logo to a test group of people who match your client's profile. You can show them several design options or just the one you feel is the strongest option. Ask them if they like the logo, what emotions it appeals to. If you are satisfied with the answers, congratulations! You created a great logo. If not, you may need to rework your logo design.

Choose the right file format for your logo
Your logo can be saved in two formats. One is known as vector and the other as raster. You need logo files in both one and the other format. Vector format (PDF, CDR, EPS, SVG) is used for editing the logo, as well as for scaling and printing. Raster format (PNG, JPEG) is used for working on the Internet. For example, to place your logo on a website, social networks, or in an email signature. To work with vectors, programs such as Corel, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape (free program) are used; for rasters, Adobe Photoshop, Pint.Net and others are used.

That's all! I hope our article was useful. Don’t forget to write what tips you have for creating a logo and share the link to the article on social networks.

Today we’ll talk about logos: importance, types and stages of creation. Let's find out why the site needs it and what requirements need to be taken into account when developing it.

The largest players in the world market agree to invest multimillion-dollar budgets in the creation of the main emblem of the company, its trademark. It is difficult for a business without a logo to promote its product, receive high consumer appreciation, and create an image of a successful and prosperous enterprise. According to the results of marketing research, a modern person receives more than 10,000 advertising messages every day. In conditions of such high competition, the effectiveness of advertising depends, first of all, on brand recognition and popularity.

A logo is the name of a company, presented in the form of a text, text-graphic or graphic symbol. The word itself appeared in the 19th century and denoted text cliches used by printing houses. Only in the twentieth century. the term began to be used as a designation of a symbol symbolizing a specific brand, organization or product.

Why does a brand need a logo?

First of all, for recognition. The image function of a good logo is difficult to overestimate. Being more than just a picture, the emblem performs a number of marketing tasks:

Distinctive– sets the brand apart from the competitive environment.
Protective– protects the brand product from copying and counterfeiting.
Warranty– when placed on a product, it confirms the declared quality.
Aesthetic– becomes one of the elements in the design of product packaging.
Advertising– recognition works, builds trust, increases loyalty.

What is a company logo? This is the basis of the corporate identity, the embodiment of the philosophy and principles of the brand. And also a symbol that you will have to come up with after reading this article.

An example of an excellent logo is the Formula 1 sign, which immerses you in the world of high speeds and frantic drive.

How to come up with your own symbol

There are only three main types of logos:

Symbolic (graphic or symbolic)

It is an abstract image. The advantage of such logos is that they are easily perceived and quickly remembered, creating stable associative connections in the brain.

Text

Usually it is a stylized combination of letters or numbers, made using corporate fonts. To create a text logo, it is not necessary to use the company name. These can be abbreviations, abbreviations, artificially created words.

Combined

The most common type of logo, which combines text and symbolic components. It is considered universal, allowing elements to be used separately for placement on different media.

Principles and important rules

In order for the company logo to look organically on the website, business cards, packaging, etc., it is necessary to take into account and follow the rules for logo development:

Originality

Everyone knows that plagiarism is punishable. Therefore, we strongly recommend being creative and inventing. Moreover, such a solution will set you apart from competitors, such as, for example, the Mercedes company:

Three rays enclosed in a circle are a symbol of the production of engines for the three elements: earth, water and air.

Simplicity and conciseness

The lightweight design is not only quickly remembered, but also looks great on small media. A great example is the NIKE badge:

The swoosh symbol represents the sound of air being cut as it moves.

Versatility

Think in advance about how the logo will look on an office sign, employee business cards, a website page, an advertising flyer, or a branded T-shirt. Regardless of the area of the advertising plane and the compression percentage, the image quality should not suffer.

At Gazprom, everything is thought through to the smallest detail.

Symbolism

For all its simplicity, the logo must necessarily reflect the specifics of your company’s work and evoke appropriate associations. For example, as a sign of the Russian State Library:

Logo creation stages

Now let's talk about how to come up with and draw an emblem for your company or personal brand from scratch. To do this, you can use special graphics programs (Adobe Photoshop, CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator) or one of the online designers (ool Text, Logo Snap, Logo Yes, Simwebsol, etc.).

In order for a hand-made sign to fully reflect the company’s philosophy and the author’s idea, you will have to try. As inspiration, you can use association services (association.org), brainstorming and the work of foreign colleagues.

Stage 1. Analytical

Before you start drawing, you need to think through the concept of the future logo. To do this, you will have to study the logos of competitors, formulate the competitive advantages of your brand, and highlight your target audience. Such detailed work is not only useful for business, but also a great help in the next step.

Stage 2. Sketch

Display on paper the symbols that you think reflect the specifics of your brand. Be inspired by the work of others, but never plagiarize. Remember that each trademark must be unique, and copyright infringement is punishable by law.

At this stage, detailed drawing is not needed. Play with accents and color schemes. If necessary, involve colleagues or friends in the work, brainstorm or discuss.

Important: it is impossible to patent a logo if there are identical or similar versions. This means that commercial use of such an emblem is not possible.

Stage 3. Trial

Are there a few options left? Show them to clients, employees, and representatives of the target audience. Listen to reviews. Pay attention to the associative series and such characteristics as memorability, symbolism, etc. Make changes to the option you like and present it to the world as a new emblem of your business.

Stage 4. Presentation

After all modifications and error corrections, your logo is ready for legal registration.

Your brand color

In this article, we have not yet touched upon another important aspect of creating a logo – the choice of color scheme. While it is color (according to American studies) that becomes the formative factor stimulating purchase in 60% of cases. Psychologists confirm that certain shades evoke similar associations in people, causing similar reactions and stereotypes.

Red

Symbolizes activity, energy, activity. Actively used in auto industries, fast foods, and the film industry:

Blue

Calm and reliable, speaks of trust, protection and responsibility. Popular in energy, medicine, insurance, banking:

Green

A symbol of wealth, prestige, environmental friendliness and naturalness. Saturated is associated with abundance, and light is associated with serenity, which is used by representatives of eco-food, construction and repair:

Yellow

The brighter the shade, the more positive it carries. Liveliness, brightness, joy and fun - all these associations are used by youth brands, fast foods and companies involved in the sale of gadgets and equipment:

Black

Respectable and “elite”, emphasizes prestige and exclusivity. Therefore, it works great in the “expensive” areas of branded clothing and accessories, perfume:

Don't turn your logo into a rainbow. Two to four colors will be enough to create an effective, memorable symbol. Otherwise, if significantly reduced (on a business card, as a favicon on a website), it can turn into an incomprehensible blur.

As you can see, creating a logo for a website or company is quite simple. If you have the desire, time, perseverance and basic PC skills, you can do this yourself. Try your hand, develop creativity, don’t be afraid to embody the most daring ideas - and your logo will actively work to develop and popularize your business.